Climate change beliefs and climate change scepticism among German local political elites – polarization along partisan lines

Climate change issues, but also skepticism, are on the rise. While the close relationship between far right ideology and climate skepticism is increasingly explored at the population level, little is known about the supply-side, i.e. climate change attitudes and positions of political elites. Particularly at the local level, politicians are key decision-makers in climate change mitigation and provide important heuristics for citizens when it comes to complex issues such as climate change. This study examines local political elites’ attitudes towards climate change and specific climate policy measures, as well as the impact of party affiliation. Methodologically, we draw on a web survey among local MPs in the eastern German states of Saxony and Thuringia, both electoral strongholds of the climate skeptic AfD as well as battlegrounds of local conflicts over Germany’s energy transition. Overall, our findings underline the growing importance of climate change issues – also at the local level – and contribute to the literature of the broader changes of party competition. Among other things, our original data reveal that climate change issues foster the polarization of the party system even at the local level, which used to be less polarized and more consensus-orientated. Furthermore, our research shows that political parties hold heterogeneous views on issues such as impact and consensus skepticism as well as support for specific climate policies, which could fuel intra-party conflicts in the future.